A group of women from KZN provided assistance to a 72-year-old man who was discovered in a wheelchair, covered in feces, and had wounds near the Kingsburgh Mall shopping center. Following the intervention of these women, the man was transported to the hospital.
The man, who was in a wheelchair, was found in such a condition that he required urgent hospitalization. Reports suggest he was allegedly begging on the streets near Kingsburgh Mall. The women intervened to restore his dignity.
A week ago, the organization The Elders Voice KZN received calls requesting help for a couple sleeping near the shopping center. When members of the organization arrived to assess the situation, they discovered an elderly man in an 'absolutely heartbreaking state.'
According to the organization, the man had arrived from Durban and was presumably begging on the streets. However, the circumstances that led him to the roadside were less significant to the women than the urgent need to help him.
The Elders Voice KZN emphasized: 'Regardless of how he ended up there, regardless of who brought him there, regardless of the circumstances surrounding him here, he deserved dignity.'
The women returned with clean blankets, a pillow, clothes, diapers, soap, facial towels, sanitizer, a bucket, and bed linen. On the roadside, Luyande Meyer and Alta from Heart of Toti worked together to bathe and clean the elderly man, assist him with his wounds, and dress him in clean clothes.
One of the women noted: 'Not because it was easy. Not because it was glamorous. But because he is someone's uncle, someone's father, he is a human being.'
For these women, the goal was to ensure the man got to the hospital after receiving care, not as just another neglected elderly person from the streets. They wanted him to arrive at the hospital clean, cared for, and with restored dignity, not simply as another forgotten elderly person from the street.
Initially, the women waited for state ambulance services, but when it got dark and the temperature dropped, they decided they could not wait indefinitely. Eventually, Conrad from Faithmed helped organize the ambulance call.
The Elders Voice KZN reported: 'The ambulance soon arrived; Uncle was safely loaded and taken to Prince Mshiyeni Hospital, where we pray that he receives the necessary medical care.'
The situation, which began as a plea for help for a couple sleeping near Kingsburgh Mall, turned into a heartbreaking rescue when The Elders Voice KZN discovered a vulnerable 72-year-old man in shocking conditions.
The organization also thanked the people who contributed to the rescue, including a donor who paid for private ambulance services. 'You didn't just pay for transport. You helped get a vulnerable elderly man off the roadside to a place where he could receive medical attention. Thank you for recognizing his worth.'
The women who cared for the man also received praise for putting compassion above their own comfort. The organization noted: 'Luyande Meyer—my girl, you showed true compassion today. You stepped in without worrying about getting dirty or asking, 'Whose problem is this?' You simply saw an elderly man in need of help and helped him.'
The Elders Voice KZN stated that this incident serves as a reminder that homelessness is rarely a simple issue, as people's stories often involve addiction, family circumstances, personal choices, and systemic failures.
The organization concluded: 'But today the most important thing is: the elderly man found on the roadside, covered in his own waste, is now in the hospital.' For this group, the intervention was not about solving all the problems associated with homelessness, but about recognizing the humanity of a person left in a vulnerable position. 'We cannot always fix the circumstances. We cannot always save everyone. But when we are faced with an elderly person in need of help, we will always try to give them dignity. Sometimes it takes the whole village.'